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State employee claims mold in Brooksville office made her ill

By John Frank, Times Staff Writer
In print: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A state employee claims mold affects workers in a building leased by the state Department of Corrections at 20144 Cortez Blvd. in Brooksville. The building owner says the issue has been resolved.

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BROOKSVILLE — A toxic mold contamination at a local office building leased by the Department of Corrections may have made state employees sick, according to court documents.

Investigator Deborah Roscillo works at the department's probation and parole division office at 20144 Cortez Blvd., just east of U.S. 41.

The state agency rents the white stucco building from prominent Brooksville real estate broker Robert Buckner, according to property records.

Roscillo started working for the department in November 2006 and discovered the mold June 13.

Her attorney, Robert Lash, filed court papers Sept. 15 alleging that flooding problems from an adjacent bathroom and roof have occurred for years, allowing mold spores to grow on the building's interior walls.

Lash suggested that his client became "ill as a result of a prolonged exposure to mold toxins in the building."

The court documents ask a judge for permission to access the building to conduct tests in expectation of a future lawsuit. Although no legal action against Buckner or the state agency has been filed, it would likely seek damages to cover any needed health care.

"They've got some mold issues," Lash said in a recent interview. "We are trying to determine if the mold is causing her health problems."

Along with the members of the public who visit the offices, the building houses an unspecified number of workers. Lash believes more could be affected. "If there is a problem in the building, it's going to manifest itself to other employees," he said.

The liability could also extend to the Corrections Department, though those claims would largely be covered by workers' compensation.

An agency spokeswoman said department officials are aware of the situation.

Buckner said he could not discuss the issue at length because of the potential litigation.

"All I can tell you is there was a small leak, some mold, and we took care of it," he said. "We went above and beyond cleaning it up so we could be on the safe side."

But that cleaning is another point of contention.

Lash sent Buckner a letter July 30 asking him not to touch the building so as to preserve any evidence. But when Lash's inspector entered to conduct tests Aug. 6, he discovered someone had recently cleaned the carpet and sprayed a citrus mold decontaminant.

"Our expert went in there and said the place smelled like oranges, so we knew something was going on," Lash said. "You can't take away the evidence to mask the problem."

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6114.